Speed-regulator for explosive-engines.



No. 678,546. Patented July 16, I90l. E. N. CORSON. SPEED REGULATOR FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed Mar. 5, 1901.) (No Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

EDGAR N. CORSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ASA G. CORSON, OF SAME PLACE.

SPEED-REGULATOR FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart Of Letters Patent No. 678,546, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed March 5, 1901. Serial No. 49,960. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR N. CORSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful improvements in means to regulate the piston-throw in explosive-engines and also means to move the head of the piston or eX- plosion chamber, and thereby increase or decrease the capacity of the engine as the varying conditions of the load on the engine may of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an engine having such means. I accomplish this object by means of the mechanism herein described,and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a central vertical section, partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the piston-chamber A and the piston B are constructed in the usual manner, except that the cylinder-head O has a longitudinal movement in the cylinder to increase or diminish the capacity ofthe explosion-chamber as the same maybe required, (which will hereinafter be explained.) The stroke of the piston in the cylinder may be varied as the conditions of the load may require. This is accomplished as follows: The wrist-pin D has a radial movement along the front of the crankwheel E from near the center to its outer periphery orapproximately thereto. This wheel is keyed on the main shaft G. The upper portion of the wrist-pin projects through a radial slot in the crank-wheel. Through this portion of the wrist-pin is a threaded opening to receive and engage a threaded stud F, revolubly mounted in the radial slot in the crank Wheel. The rotation of this radial stud will cause the wrist-pin to move along the face of the cranlmvheel, and thereby increase or decrease the stroke of the piston in proportion as the wrist-pin is moved toward or from the periphery of the wheel. Rotary motion is imparted to the radialstud by means of the intermeshing bevel-gearing operatively connecting the same with the shaft 12, the rotation of which operates the cylinder-head O, and this shaft passes through a screwthreaded opening'in the upwardly-extending portion 0 of the movable cylinder-head,which will increase or diminish the capacity of the explosion-chamber, as it is moved toward or from the piston. Motion is imparted to this shaft through the sprocket-chain H, which passes under the sprocket 1, keyed on the shaft 12, and over sprocket-teeth J on the gear-wheel O.

The governor mechanis is operated and described as follows: A governor-operating spindle L,revolubl v mounted in suitable bearing in the frame, (at right angles to the main shaft,) is provided at the end adjacent to the main shaft with a gear-Wheel K, which is keyed to the spindle and meshes with the gearwheel M, keyed on the main shaft. The gear Mon the main shaft having half the number of cogs that the gear K has will give to the spindle L half the speed of the main shaft. Motion will therefore be imparted to the spindle at all times when the main shaft is in motion. This spindle is also provided with two large beveled gear-wheels N and O, revolubly mounted thereon, both of said wheels adapted to engage an idle bevel gear-wheel P, revolubly mounted in bearings in the frame. The purpose of having this idler engage the bevel gear-Wheels N and O is to impart a reverse movement to these wheels-that is to say, when one, wheel is revolving in one direction the other wheel will be revolving in the opposite direction. (The object to be accomplished thereby will be presently explained.) On the inner faces of the wheels N and O are projecting flanges N and O, which form housing forflat spiral steel springs Q. These springs are inclosed Within these flanges and are rigidly affixed at their inner and wider ends Q to the flanges, the other and narrower end being attached to the flat annular rings R. Fixed on the governorspindle and inside of the flat springs, the springs completely enveloping them, are two engaging drums S. Between these drums,on the governor-spindle,is mounted the circular friction-disk T. This disk is bolted to the sleeve U by bolts T and has a longitudinal movement with the sleeve on the governorspindle, but is held against rotation thereon.

This sleeve is operated longitudinally on the spindle (carrying the friction-disk with it) by the ball-governor V, the outer arms of which are pivoted to a collar U, rigidly affixed to and revolving with the spindle in the manner similar to that of the conventional ball-governor. A coiled spring W encircles the spindle'intermediate the sleeveUand the collar U, the tendency of which is to spread the sleeve and collar apart and throw the governor in its closed and inoperative position. When the main shaftis running too rapidly, rapid rotary motion will be imparted to the governor-spindle, carrying with it the governor. This will cause the governor-sleeve U to move to the right, carrying with it the circular disk T, which will frictionally engage the annular-ring B. and engaging therewith will cause it to wind up the spring Q and frictionally engage the drum S, the smaller and weaker part engaging first. This will carry with it the gear-wheel 0, having on its outer face the sprocket-teeth J, imparting motion thereby to the sprocket-chain H and through it to the shaft 12, on which is keyed the sprocket I, which rotation of this shaft imparts motion not only to the movable cylinderhead 0, causing it to move toward piston B, but it likewise imparts motion to the radial stud F in the crank-wheel, causing the wristpin to move along the face of the crank-wheel toward the axis of the main shaft, which will shorten the stroke of the piston. Then the main shaft is running too slowly, slow rotary motion will be imparted to the governor-spindle, carrying with it the governor. This will cause the governor-sleeve U to move to the left, carrying with it the circular disk T, which will frictionally engage the annular ring R and cause it to wind up the spring Q and frictionally engage the drum S, This will carry with it the gear-wheel N, imparting a reverse motion to the gear-wheel O, (by means of its connection through the bevel gear-wheel P,) revolving the shaft 12 and the radial stud F in a way to increase the pistonstroke and cylinder capacity.

The intermeshing mechanism which operatively connects the shaft 12 with the wristpin D is described as follows: On the inner face of the crank-wheel E and integral therewith is a circle of projecting cogs 6, which engage a bevel-gear 7, loosely mounted on an axle 9. This radial axle is screwed firmly into an annular collar 9', which encircles and has a working fit on the bearings for the main shaft in the main frame and integral therewith. Directly opposite the circle of cogs 6 is a circle of cogs 10, being the same in number and size, this circle of cogs 10 being arranged to engage the spur-gear 7, (the axle of which has a circular movement around the main shaft.) Now whenthe crank-wheel revolves it will carry the spur-gear 7 around withit, the gear 7 revolving between gears 6 and 10 and being carried around the main shaft thereby at one-half the speed of the crank-Wheel, the aisle 9 also moving around the shaft one-half as fast as the crank-wheel moves. Loosely mounted on the radial axle 9 and carried around thereby as the axle moves around the crank is the bevel-gear 8. This bevel-gear 8 engages two annular bevelgears 11 and 15, encircling and having aworking fit on flanges of the crank-wheel and the frame, which flanges also encircle the main shaft. The cogs 11 and 15 on the annular gears (11 and 15) project inwardly, being the same in number and size and adapted to engage the bevel-gear 8. Projecting outwardly from the outer face of these annular gears 11 and 15 are cogs 11 and 15", which engage, respectively, the spur-gear 13 on the shaft 12 and the spur-gear 14 on the radial stud F. When the spur-gear 11 is held stationary, the bevel-gear 8 will be carried along and around by the axle 9 and is made to revolve so that the annular gear 15 remains at the samerelative position to the crank-wheel, imparting no rotary motion to the radial stud F. Therefore when the shaft 12 is quiescent there will be no change in the stroke of the piston. If the shaft 12 is revolved in either direction, it will cause the gear 11 to revolve, which causes gear 8 to revolve faster or slower than it otherwise would, and it in turn causes spurgear 15 to revolve faster or slower (according to the direction in which the shaft is turned) than the crank-wheel, which movement lengthens or shortens the piston-stroke, according to the direction in which the shaft is turned. The rod Xis slidably mounted in suitable bearing in the frame and is operatively connected with the lever Y, which is pivoted to the frame and projects through a slot X in the rod X. The bifurcations Y on the free end thereof project into the annular groove in the movable sleeve U. Now when the piston-stroke and the cylinder capacity are reduced to the minimum the socket C will contact with and press the pin X forward toward the main shaft, which will carry with it the pivoted lever Y, moving the sleeve U forward and disengaging the friction-disk T on the govern or-spindle from its frictional engagement with the annular friction-ring R and releasing thereby the engaging drum S from its engagement with the gear-wheel O and stopping the further revolution of the shaft 12, when the movable head 0 of the cylinder and the wrist-pin D will become stationary. When the piston-stroke and cylinder capacity are increased to the maximum, the socket C will contact with the pin X and pull the rod X in a direction away from the main shaft, throwing the governor-operating mechanism out of engagement and stopping the further movement of the piston cylinder-head and the further change of the pis ton-stroke.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In' an explosive-engine the herein-described means to move the head of the explosive-chamber as the varying conditions of the load require, comprising the movable cylinder-head 0, having upwardly-projecting portion 0, with a threaded opening therein to receive the threaded end of the shaft 12,

threaded at one end and having bevel-gear 13 on the other end adapted to engage and mesh with gear on the main shaft, substantially as shown; a shaft X longitudinally movable in the frame, an end projecting through the socket C engaging pins X and X on said shaft; a pivoted lever Y projecting through a slot in the shaft X, having upwardly-projecting bifurcations Y adapted to engage an annular groove in the sleeve U on the governor-spindle, and means, substantially as shown, to throw the governor into or out of operative connection with the movable cylinderhead, substantially as shown and described.

2. The herein described means to vary the stroke of an explosive-engine comprising a crank-wheel fixed on the main shaft; a radial slot in said wheel; a screw-threaded stud re volubly mounted in said slot, adapted to enter and engage the threaded opening in a wristpin, the said pin, on said radial stud, adapted to move radially along the face of said crank-wheel; and a pitman piv'otallysecured to said Wrist-pin.

8. A ball-governor, such as shown, in combination with means to operatively connect the same with, and vary the stroke of the piston of an explosive-engine, comprising a sprocket-chain carried by a sprocket on the spindle of the governor, and operatively connected therewith; a shaft carrying a sprocket adapted to engage the sprocket-chain, and having at one end a bevel-gear, adapted to mesh with and engage a gear-wheel encircling the main shaft; a circular collar on the main axle revolubly projecting radially thereidler bevel-gears carried by said axle,

shaft revoluble thereon; an affixed thereto and from;

the outer idler adapted to mesh with and between two circular rows of cogs, one row of the cogs on the inner face of the crank-wheel and the other row of cogs on the face of the frame, and arranged to mesh with the idler bevel-wheel as it travels around the main shaft; an inner idler bevel-gear on said radial axle, adapted to mesh on one side with the gear on the shaft carrying the sprocket, and on the other side (directly opposite to the gear on the sprocket-carrying shaft) with a bevelgear on the radial threaded stud, whereby the operation of the governor will cause the wristpin to move along the face of the crank-wheel and vary the stroke of the piston.

4. The combination,substantially as shown, of the means to vary the stroke of the piston, comprising a crank wheel fixed on the main shaft; a radial slot in said wheel; a screw threaded stud revolubly mounted in said slot, adapted to enter and engage the threaded opening in a wrist-pin, the said pin, on said radial stud, adapted to move radially along the face of said crank-wheel; and a pitman pivotally secured to said wrist-pin,with means to regulate the capacity of the explosion-chamber, comprising the ball-governor and its connecting mechanism, viz: the friction engaging drums S fixed on the spindle of the ballgovernor in combination with the ribbonsprings Q encircling the same; a circular friction-disk fixed on the spindle and adapted, upon the movement longitudinally of the spindle, to frictionally engage the springs and lock them frictionally on the drum, sub- I stautially as herein shown and described.

In witness that I claim the foregoing l have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day of February, 1901.

EDGAR N, CORSON.

Witnesses:

G. E. HARPHAM, HENRY T. HAZARD, 

